Back in January I wrote “One CC CMA Post to Rule them All” but the years are going to overlap substantially (and thus, I am going to re-title the other post…probably before you read this).
Executive Summary: The judge picks 5 recording artist nominees from their region to be voted upon. As the name implies, the recording artist must license some of their work under a Creative Commons license.
Details:Â
I. Criteria
The judges can use whatever criteria s/he wants. Most judges in the past have used album release date. However, as I write the world is more-or-less on lockdown due to covid-19, which will help illustrate the point that judges can use whatever criteria they like, as long as it is musical.
For example, if a judge wanted to pick 5 Creative Commons musicians that did extraordinary things during the outbreak, that would be fine. Perhaps they played a lot of live streaming shows. Perhaps they played benefit concerts. Those things are musical, but would not show up in an albums list.
If a musician is also a physician, nurse, first responder, etc., those are great things, but not really what we are looking for in these awards.
If you have a question on criteria, you are probably over-thinking it. You literally just give me 5 nominees from your region that release under Creative Commons. This is very simple in concept.
Below I address additional questions.
II. Why?
There are many layers to why we are doing the awards. Specifically for the regions, it is a way for judges to learn their local scene. The CC scene has always been largely internet-based. The Internet is great. However, many people get tired of staring at a computer screen and want to get out and go to shows.
III. What sites?
You can use any site, but the real question is, does that site have licensing metadata? Spotify does not give licensing data, but you could listen on Spotify and then verify the license through another source. That seems like a waste of time to me, but if you like Spotify, you could give it a shot.
There tons of music sites out there. If you don’t see the CC logos on the site, then it’s probably not a place to find CC music. If you have questions, just ask!
Bandcamp is my personal favorite, but make sure the music is under a CC license.
Jamendo seems to not be updating (the 2018 year in review is still on the home page), but more than that they do not give city information, which makes it very difficult for US judges. For international judges, Jamendo is an excellent choice.
Uploads are still not working on the Free Music Archive as of this writing, but if they ever get uploads working again, the FMA will likely be a good resource. The FMA has had a couple of troubled years, so it is hard to know if they will ever be as good as they were, but the brand recognition is certainly there.
YouTube is not going to be a good resource because the license is for the video, not the song. Some musicians will post license details in the details, but YouTube is just not a reliable source.
You will need to make sure the license is CC, but it probably is if you use the Netlabel listing on Archive.org.
If you find something on the netlabel listing that you like, go to the netlabel page and you will likely find more like it. For example, here is the blocSonic page on archive.org (be aware that in 2019 we stopped using archive.org).
III. B. Netlabels
Speaking of netlabels, the netlabels sites themselves are a good resource. That said, there are too many to list. The aggregators are a better resource for searching.
Below is a very short list of active netlabels, in case you find the list at ClongClongMoo confusing.
Abstract Reflections: https://abstraktreflections.net/releases/
http://bestiar.org
blocsonic.com
http://bonimedia.pl
IV. How to contact?
My email is doug@blocsonic.com, but I am easy to find around the Internet. There are not a lot of Doug Whitfield’s in Minneapolis.
The judges have a private facebook group. Once you pick a region, I can add you.
V. Where are previous winners listed?
http://ccmusicawards.com
VI. Deadline
Jan 15, 2022
VII. What regions are available?
| Alabama,GA |
| Alaska and Hawaii |
| Arizona, New Mexico |
| Arkansas,Missouri |
| California |
| Colorado,Utah |
| Florida |
| Illinois and Indiana |
| Kentucky, West Virginia |
| Louisiana |
| Maine, NH, VT |
| Massachusetts,RI, CT |
|
| Montana,Wyoming |
| Nebraska,Kansas, Oklahoma |
| Nevada |
| NY, NJ |
| Carolinas |
| Dakotas |
| Ohio, Michigan |
| Oregon, Washington, Idaho |
| Pennsylvania,Delaware |
| Tennessee,Mississippi |
| Texas |
| DMV |
| Territories (minus DC) |
|
|
|
|
| Europe |
| Asia |
| Australia |
| Africa |
| Canada |
| South America |
| Central America, Caribbean, Mexico |
Now, if we get someone enthusiastic that wants to help recruit judges, I would be more than happy to split the other regions of the world.
VIII. What genres?
Any genre. Any language. The only requirement is that the musician be releasing some of their work under a Creative Commons license. Also, see Section I.
IX. Where do I take notes?
You can take notes wherever you like. Being a judge is like being king of a region, it’s just your only power is giving us 5 Creative Commons nominees.
I use a Google Spreadsheet per region, but you might like LibreOffice.
X. Where do I submit?
For now, just send your nominees to Doug, though we should probably have a better process in case Doug rides his bike off a cliff. Yes, Doug is mixing third and first person. I don’t know why.
TBC…
musicman
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